07/27/2011

Mobster Says Insufficient Evidence For Conviction

Vincent Artuso, a reputed capo in the Gambino crime family allegedly responsible for its South Florida operations, is appealing his 2008 racketeering conviction for an $11 million sale-and-leaseback real estate scam against ADT Security Services, and today his attorneys argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit as reported by Greg Bluestein for The Associated Press: "defense attorneys said prosecutors based much of their case against their client on a 20-year-old videotape that did little to link Artuso to the Gambinos, along with 'prejudicial evidence' about the crime family in New York City that wasn't tied to the fraud charges." The feds suspect "Artuso was present on Dec. 16, 1985 when former Gambino boss Paul Castellano was gunned down in front of a Manhattan steakhouse — allegedly on [John] Gotti's orders" although he never has been charged for any role in the hit.

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